After receiving a positive answer, Chen Bugu fell silent for a few seconds.
Among this batch of Awakeneds, could anyone at this stage single-handedly take on a well-trained and armed military squad?
Impossible!
Chen Bugu immediately dismissed this conjecture.
This batch of Awakeneds hadn't been in the Starting Forest for too long.
His speed of breaking through to Black Iron Five-Star was already very fast…
"I'm sorry, Professor Xu, but I still want to ask, how did you get here? And how did you end up fighting those two people?"
Chen Bugu had a rough guess about the identity of those two people, but he couldn't be sure yet.
Another thing that made him especially curious was whether this army also arrived here through the Great Disaster? If so, why did they mention a mission earlier?
"I know you all may have been forced here by some kind of supernatural event. Our Non-Natural Research Special Task Force collectively refers to such supernatural events as the 'Great Disaster,' and we naturally came here because of the 'Great Disaster.'"
"I also know that you all might want to return to Yutan as soon as possible, but I can tell you very clearly that we are probably no longer on Earth at this moment."
After Xu Lu finished speaking, the reactions of the people behind Chen Bugu varied.
This was the first time they had heard the term "Great Disaster" from anyone other than Chen Bugu.
Bai Ting and Han Badou even simultaneously considered the likelihood of Chen Bugu belonging to the military.
Old Liu, on the other hand, became anxious: "Professor, do you know what you're saying? Not on Earth?"
Although Chen Bugu had previously said they were in some other world, Old Liu, a middle-aged man, didn't understand such things.
Xu Lu turned her head to look at Old Liu and began to explain.
"Sir, since you've evolved to your current level, you must have encountered many Magical Beasts, right? Do you think these are creatures that would exist on Earth?"
Old Liu fell silent. Lin Ye stood by his side and patted his shoulder, saying nothing.
In fact, Lin Ye had already discussed this topic by the campfire the night before.
He jokingly said that this other world was definitely not the same system as Earth.
Lin Ye was a middle school geography teacher, but all the phenomena he encountered after arriving in this forest did not conform to his understanding of geography.
The trees here had no annual rings, the temperature was clearly not high, and the diurnal temperature range was extremely small, yet between dawn and dusk, the forest was full of moisture and exceptionally humid.
When burying bones in the Goblin tribe, Lin Ye even found that the soil underneath was severely desertified and seemed to have no fertility at all, yet this forest was full of lush, tall trees, which was illogical.
However, when a professor with a military background personally told them that the land beneath their feet was no longer on Earth, everyone still felt a bit dazed.
"As for those two people, we just met them by chance. They attacked us without warning. They were wearing black cloaks, one holding a long saber and the other two daggers. They were very fast, and our bullets couldn't penetrate their cloaks."
"We have instruments that can detect Awakened energy data. Their levels are very high, estimated to be Black Iron Eight-Star."
When Xu Lu said this, her eyes looked at Chen Bugu, but unfortunately, the man's expression was not as surprised as his teammates; on the contrary, there was no expression on his face.
Chen Bugu knew that although thermal weapons would cause a large loss of energy when plundering it, leading to generally low Awakened levels among soldiers.
However, at this stage, thermal weapons were still not something ordinary Awakeneds could deal with.
"Professor Xu, since you've already encountered such strong Awakeneds and suffered such a great loss, why are you still so confident in approaching us? You seem to have discovered us long ago, how did you do it?"
Chen Bugu's counter-question made Xu Lu even more certain that this small team of nine was not simple.
"Mr. Chen, discovering you was very simple; after all, we still have thermal imaging drones. As for why we dared to approach you, it's because I guessed that the first inhabitants wouldn't need so many people to act together."
First inhabitants?
Yan Kuan and Wang Bin exchanged glances; they had never heard this term before.
Chen Bugu could now confirm that the military indeed knew some information beforehand.
"What are first inhabitants?"
Han Badou suddenly spoke up and asked.
"Little brother, first inhabitants are those Awakeneds who came here through the 'Great Disaster' in the past and have survived until now."
Han Badou nodded, and Lin Ye immediately understood the meaning of "first inhabitants."
If Huang Yuanzhang from Tiancheng City First Hospital hadn't died, had walked out of this forest alive, and was still alive today, he would have become a "first inhabitant" in this woman's words.
"Professor Xu, how are you sure those two people are 'first inhabitants'?"
"Sorry, that involves classified information, no comment."
"Okay, thank you, Professor Xu, for sharing. Since we can confirm that we are not 'first inhabitants,' then we should have no conflict. We have rested well, so let's part ways here."
Chen Bugu stood up and turned to leave.
This action was so sudden that not only did Xu Lu not react in time, but even Lin Xiaoxiao and the others didn't react.
Seeing that Chen Bugu had already walked two or three steps, Wang Bin and Yan Kuan also turned to leave. Lin Xiaoxiao was about to follow, but suddenly noticed that Bai Ting and Han Badou were still standing in place, with no intention of leaving. As if by a strange impulse, she also chose not to follow.
Two seconds later, Lin Xiaoxiao began to understand why Bai Ting and Han Badou didn't leave.
"Mr. Chen, wait…" Xu Lu spoke, trying to keep him.
This scene was a bit comical in Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes, like at a clothing wholesale market where Chen Bugu failed to bargain and turned to leave, and the boss indeed ran out to keep him.
Chen Bugu reluctantly stopped. To be honest, whether it was the military or the "first inhabitants," he didn't want to get involved with them for now.
But Chen Bugu also knew that if Xu Lu had no other demands, she definitely wouldn't have patiently explained so much to him and his group. One must know that Xu Lu and her people were barely able to protect themselves; meeting them couldn't possibly be for the purpose of protecting them, could it?
"Professor Xu, is there anything else?"
Chen Bugu turned his head back, but showed no intention of walking back.
Seeing Chen Bugu's demeanor, Xu Lu knew that this guy was unyielding, so she simply laid out her purpose.
"It's like this, we'd like to ask for your help?"
"Professor Xu, you have over thirty people, fully armed and bristling with weapons. Even if I am Black Iron Five-Star, I cannot remain unharmed under the bullets of those soldiers. I don't understand why you need our help."
Chen Bugu glanced at the other side of the stream. Although those soldiers seemed to be resting, one hand was constantly on their guns, continuously monitoring the situation on his side. If he and his group made even the slightest wrong move, they might immediately be riddled with bullets.
"This morning, at the source of this stream, we discovered a special crystal mine, but it is guarded by two powerful Magical Beasts."
"We need to collect some crystal ore, but those two Magical Beasts have astonishing defense and are not slow. Our bullets cannot penetrate their defenses."
"Luring them away is feasible, after all, we don't necessarily need to kill them, but who knew that the eggs of those two Magical Beasts were laid right next to the crystal mine? As soon as we approach their eggs, they go crazy and rush back. The strongest we have here is Black Iron Three Stars, and we can't outrun those Magical Beasts."
"We wasted many bullets, but still couldn't succeed. For this, we need someone fast."
Chen Bugu had originally intended to turn and leave halfway through listening, but suddenly heard something interesting, so he abruptly stopped himself.
"Professor Xu, Magical Beasts that even bullets can't penetrate, and you want me, a model citizen, to mess with their offspring and young?"
Chen Bugu looked at Xu Lu, started walking back, and slowly spoke at the same time.
"Mr. Chen, you've misunderstood…"
"Alright, Professor Xu, you know, we've been through a lot, crawling and stumbling, facing constant dangers. It hasn't been easy for us to get to where we are today, shedding blood and sweat."
As Chen Bugu said this, he had already walked back in front of Xu Lu.
Xu Lu watched him walk back and seemed to understand something as well.
"Then, Mr. Chen, what do you mean?"
Xu Lu had talked with Chen Bugu for so long, and finally saw a smile appear on the man's face.
"What I mean is…"
"You need to pay more!"